8th United States Congress
with "Brick Oven"]] The Eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1803 to March 3, 1805, during the last two years of the first administration of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Second Census of the United States in 1800. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority. Major events * April 30, 1803: Louisiana Purchase was made by the United States from France * February 16, 1804: In the First Barbary War, Stephen Decatur led a raid to burn the pirate-held [[USS Philadelphia (1799)| frigate Philadelphia]] * May 14, 1804: Lewis and Clark Expedition departed from Camp Dubois to begin their historic journey by traveling up the Missouri River * July 11, 1804: Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton * November 30, 1804: Impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase * December 3, 1804: United States presidential election, 1804: Incumbent Thomas Jefferson (DR) beat challenger Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (F) * March 1 1805: Samuel Chase acquitted of impeachment charges by the U.S. Senate Major legislation Constitutional amendments * December 9, 1803: Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress. * June 15, 1804: Twelfth Amendment was ratified by the states. Treaties * October 20, 1803: Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase Treaty States admitted and territories organized * March 26, 1804: Territory of Orleans was organized. It was formerly a portion of the District of Louisiana. * January 11, 1805: Michigan Territory was organized. Party summary The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section. Senate *Democratic-Republican (DR): 25 (majority) *Federalist (F): 9 TOTAL members: 34 House of Representatives *Democratic-Republican (DR): 103 (majority) *Federalist (F): 39 TOTAL members: 142 Leadership ]] Senate *President: Aaron Burr (Democratic-Republican) *President pro tempore: ** John Brown (Democratic-Republican) of Kentucky, elected October 17, 1803 ** Jesse Franklin (DR), elected March 10, 1804 ** Joseph Anderson (Democratic-Republican), elected January 15, 1805 House of Representatives *Speaker: Nathaniel Macon (Democratic-Republican) of North Carolina, elected October 17, 1803 Members This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district. Senate Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1808; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1804; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1806. Connecticut *1: James Hillhouse (F) *3: Uriah Tracy (F) Delaware *2: William H. Wells (F) *: James A. Bayard (F) *1: Samuel White (F) Georgia *2: Abraham Baldwin (DR) *3: James Jackson (DR) Kentucky *2: John Brown (DR) *3: John Breckinridge (DR) Maryland *3: Robert Wright (DR) *1: Samuel Smith (DR) Massachusetts *2: Timothy Pickering (F) *1: John Quincy Adams (F) New Hampshire *2: Simeon Olcott (F) *3: William Plumer (F) New Jersey *2: Jonathan Dayton (F) *1: John Condit (DR), installed September 1, 1803 New York *3: DeWitt Clinton (DR) *: John Armstrong, Jr. (DR) *: John Smith (DR) *1: Theodorus Bailey (DR) *: John Armstrong, Jr. (DR) *: Samuel L. Mitchill (DR) North Carolina *2: Jesse Franklin (DR) *3: David Stone (DR) Ohio *1: John Smith (DR), April 1, 1803 - End *3: Thomas Worthington (DR), April 1, 1803 - End Pennsylvania *3: George Logan (DR) *1: Samuel Maclay (DR) Rhode Island *2: Christopher Ellery (DR) *1: Samuel J. Potter (DR) *: Benjamin Howland (DR) South Carolina *2: Thomas Sumter (DR) *3: Pierce Butler (DR) *: John Gaillard (DR) Tennessee *1: Joseph Anderson (DR) *2: William Cocke (DR) Vermont *3: Stephen R. Bradley (DR) *1: Israel Smith (DR) Virginia *1: Stevens T. Mason (DR) *: John Taylor (DR) *: Abraham B. Venable (DR) *: William B. Giles (DR) *: Andrew Moore (DR) *2: Wilson C. Nicholas (DR) *: Andrew Moore (DR) *: William B. Giles (DR) House of Representatives The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers. Connecticut All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. * . Simeon Baldwin (F) * . Samuel W. Dana (F) * . John Davenport (F) * . Calvin Goddard (F) * . Roger Griswold (F) * . John Cotton Smith (F) * . Benjamin Tallmadge (F) Delaware * . Caesar A. Rodney (DR) Georgia All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. * . Joseph Bryan (DR) * . Peter Early (DR) * . Samuel Hammond (DR), until February 2, 1805 * . David Meriwether (DR) Kentucky * . Matthew Lyon (DR) * . John Boyle (DR) * . Matthew Walton (DR) * . Thomas Sandford (DR) * . John Fowler (DR) * . George M. Bedinger (DR) Maryland The 5th district was a plural district with two representatives. * . John Campbell (F) * . Walter Bowie (DR) * . Thomas Plater (F) * . Daniel Hiester (DR) *: Roger Nelson (DR) * . William McCreery (DR) * . Nicholas R. Moore (DR) * . John Archer (DR) * . Joseph H. Nicholson (DR) * . John Dennis (F) Massachusetts * . William Eustis (DR) * . Jacob Crowninshield (DR) * . Manasseh Cutler (F) * . Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR) * . Thomas Dwight (F) * . Samuel Taggart (F) * . Nahum Mitchell (F) * . Lemuel Williams (F) * . Phanuel Bishop (DR) * . Seth Hastings (F) * . William Stedman (F) * . Thomson J. Skinner (DR) *: Simon Larned (DR) * . Ebenezer Seaver (DR) * . Richard Cutts (DR) * . Peleg Wadsworth (F) * . Samuel Thatcher (F) * . Phineas Bruce (F) New Hampshire All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. * . Silas Betton (F) * . Clifton Clagett (F) * . David Hough (F) * . Samuel Hunt (F) * . Samuel Tenney (F) New Jersey All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. * . Adam Boyd (DR) * . Ebenezer Elmer (DR) * . William Helms (DR) * . James Mott (DR) * . James Sloan (DR) * . Henry Southard (DR) New York * . John Smith (DR) *: Samuel Riker (DR) * . Joshua Sands (F) * . Samuel L. Mitchill (DR) *: George Clinton (DR) * . Philip Van Cortlandt (DR) * . Andrew McCord (DR) * . Isaac Bloom (DR) *: Daniel C. Verplanck (DR) * . Josiah Hasbrouck (DR) * . Henry W. Livingston (F) * . Killian K. Van Rensselaer (F) * . George Tibbits (F) * . Beriah Palmer (DR) * . David Thomas (DR) * . Thomas Sammons (DR) * . Erastus Root (DR) * . Gaylord Griswold (F) * . John Paterson (DR) * . Oliver Phelps (DR) North Carolina * . Thomas Wynns (DR) * . Willis Alston (DR) * . William Kennedy (DR) * . William Blackledge (DR) * . James Gillespie (DR) * . Nathaniel Macon (DR) * . Samuel D. Purviance (F) * . Richard Stanford (DR) * . Marmaduke Williams (DR) * . Nathaniel Alexander (DR) * . James Holland (DR) * . Joseph Winston (DR) Ohio * . Jeremiah Morrow (DR) Pennsylvania There were four plural districts, the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd had three representatives each, the 4th had two representatives. * . Joseph Clay (DR) * . Michael Leib (DR) * . Jacob Richards (DR) * . Robert Brown (DR) * . Frederick Conrad (DR) * . Isaac Van Horne (DR) * . Isaac Anderson (DR) * . Joseph Hiester (DR) * . John Whitehill (DR) * . David Bard (DR) * . John A. Hanna (DR) * . Andrew Gregg (DR) * . John Stewart (DR) * . John Rea (DR) * . William Findley (DR) * . John Smilie (DR) * . William Hoge (DR) *: John Hoge (DR) * . John B. C. Lucas (DR) Rhode Island Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. * . Nehemiah Knight (DR) * . Joseph Stanton, Jr. (DR) South Carolina * . Thomas Lowndes (F) * . William Butler, Sr. (DR) * . Benjamin Huger (F) * . Wade Hampton (DR) * . Richard Winn (DR) * . Levi Casey (DR) * . Thomas Moore (DR) * . John B. Earle (DR) Tennessee All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. * . George W. Campbell (DR) * . William Dickson (DR) * . John Rhea (DR) Vermont * . Gideon Olin (DR) * . James Elliott (F) * . William Chamberlain (F) * . Martin Chittenden (F) Virginia * . John G. Jackson (DR) * . James Stephenson (F) * . John Smith (DR) * . David Holmes (DR) * . Thomas Lewis, Jr. (F) *: Andrew Moore (DR) *: Alexander Wilson (DR) * . Abram Trigg (DR) * . Joseph Lewis, Jr. (F) * . Walter Jones (DR) * . Philip R. Thompson (DR) * . John Dawson (DR) * . Anthony New (DR) * . Thomas Griffin (F) * . John J. Trigg (DR) *: Christopher H. Clark (DR) * . Matthew Clay (DR) * . John Randolph (DR) * . John W. Eppes (DR) * . Thomas Claiborne (DR) * . Peterson Goodwyn (DR) * . Edwin Gray (DR) * . Thomas Newton, Jr. (DR) * . Thomas M. Randolph (DR) * . John Clopton (DR) Non-voting members * . William Lattimore Changes in membership The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress. Senate *replacements: 7 ** Democratic-Republicans: no net change ** Federalists: no net change *deaths: 2 *resignations: 7 *seats of newly admitted states: 2 *'Total seats with changes: 12' House of Representatives *replacements: 7 ** Democratic-Republicans: no net change ** Federalists: no net change *deaths: 5 *resignations: 5 *contested elections: 1 *seats of newly admitted states: 1 *'Total seats with changes: 12' Officers *Architect of the Capitol: Benjamin H. Latrobe, appointed March 6, 1803 Senate *Secretary: Samuel A. Otis of Massachusetts, elected April 8, 1789 *Sergeant at Arms: James Mathers of New York, elected April 7, 1789 *Chaplain: ** Edward Gantt, ''Episcopalian'' ** Alexander T. McCormick, ''Episcopalian'', elected November 7, 1804 House of Representatives *Clerk: John Beckley of Virginia, elected October 17, 1803 *Sergeant at Arms: Joseph Wheaton of Rhode Island, elected October 17, 1803 *Doorkeeper: Thomas Claxton, elected October 17, 1803 *Chaplain: ** William Parkinson, Baptist ** The Rev. James Laurie, ''Presbyterian'', elected November 5, 1804 References * * External links *Statutes at Large, 1789-1875 *Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress *House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress *Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress *U.S. House of Representatives: House History *U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists 008 Category:1803 in the United States Category:1804 in the United States Category:1805 in the United States